uncle kenny

We went home to Illinois for the funeral and visitation of Jill's Uncle Kenny at the start of this week. He had been fighting a long battle with cancer and it had really taken it's toll on him. I have many fond memories of family get-togethers with Jill's family when Jill and I were first dating (and much much younger). I could always count on Kenny and Jill's Poppie to be the quiet soft spoken men that only spoke when there was something important or extremely funny to say. I felt comfortable sitting around with them as there was no pressure to say anything profound. I looked up to both of them as they were kind hard working men. Kenny was also married to his soul mate, Susie. I always loved to see them interact as they were not afraid to show each other affection in public. Kenny always treated Susie like she "hung the moon" and she thought the same about him. The only people that I can think of that have that kind of relationship are my own parents, so it was good to see at least one more example of this, as it's rare to witness this. Kenny will be deeply missed by all of us and my thoughts and prayers go out to Susie who has lost her perfect match in this world.

Putting the circumstances aside, it was good to spend some time this weekend remembering what a great person Kenny was. Jill and I reminisced about growing up and being a part of her family traditions and we were able to share family stories with our kids. Jill and I were able to reconnect with family and the kids were able to see extended family as well as the grandparents. I took some pictures of the kids before we headed to the funeral to mark the moment.